Last edited Wed Jul 23, 2025, 08:18 AM - Edit history (4)
back in the day named Louis Sockalexis, a 26-year-old member of the Penobscot tribe who became the first Native American Major League Baseball player, taking the field for the Cleveland Spiders (who became the Indians). The response from the crowd 123 years ago, however, was far from laudatory, America back then not being much different than it is today.
I've been a Cleveland Indian fan since my uncle used to take me to spring training game in Tucson where the Giants, also of the 'Cactus League', would travel down from Phoenix to play the Indians at Hy Corbett Field. The Giants had baseball greats Willie Mays, Orlando Cepeda, Willie cCovey, and high-kicking pitcher Juan Marisol. The Indians had Al Rosen, Early Wynn (later to become a 300 game winner), and fire baller Bob Feller.
Sitting in the white cloud-filled, big blue sky of Tucson, eating Cracker Jacks, watching great players was a treasure I didn't fully appreciate until much later.
The grinning, racist Chief Wahoo logo was nixed by the club a few years back but it was not enough as the negative stigma over the years was too much to overcome so the name of the team was changed to Guardians.
Ugh.
IMO the Tribe would've been better as that's what sports commentators have called them for years.
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